DESTINATION
The Serras Guerreiras de Tapuruquara (the “Warrior Mountains”) rise in the middle Rio Negro, near Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, deep in the Brazilian Amazon. Tapuruquara is the old name of the town. According to Indigenous accounts, the mountains are warriors turned to stone as they prepared for battle, which makes them sacred places for the peoples of the region.
The expeditions are based in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the most Indigenous municipality in Brazil, home to more than 20 ethnic groups, local markets, and traditional crafts. It’s a singular starting point: even before reaching the mountains, travelers step into a reality where Indigenous culture and Amazonian nature are woven into everyday life.
This is not a conventional trip. It’s an expedition for those who want to know one of the most preserved and culturally rich regions of the Amazon, welcomed by the people who live there.
Climbs to the sacred mountains, forest trails, river swims, canoeing, and camping amid one of the most unusual landscapes of the Amazon, in the middle Rio Negro.
Taking part in ceremonies such as the Dabucuri, a traditional gift-exchange ritual, and traditional dances; visits to Baré and Baniwa gardens; and workshops in pottery, plant-fiber weaving, and the building of canoes and paddles, all led by the communities.
Meals prepared from Indigenous cooking traditions, part of everyday life throughout the expedition.
It brings together ecotourism and cultural tourism under the principles of community-based tourism, involving around 100 families and contributing directly to local income and the protection of Indigenous land.
An itinerary focused on Indigenous culture, at a gentler pace with lower physical demand. It includes navigation along the Rio Negro, visits to Baré and Baniwa gardens, workshops in pottery, fiber weaving and canoe building, a river swim at Ilha do Pombo, a hike to Serra do Traíra, and the traditional Mawaku dance. Ideal for those seeking cultural immersion with less physical effort.
An itinerary for the more adventurous, with three mountain climbs and greater physical demand. It brings together journeys to the Jacuraru, Yacawení, and Tapira mountains, camping at the foot of the range, taking part in the Dabucuri (an Indigenous ritual), a visit to a former rubber-tapping site, craft workshops, and the Maniaka Murasi dance. For those who want to combine intense adventure with cultural depth.
The expeditions depart from Manaus, traveling to São Gabriel da Cachoeira and from there to the communities of the middle Rio Negro. Internal transport may combine boat and plane, depending on the itinerary.
Format
Accommodation
Important
Who should consider it
Because it involves trails and mountain climbs, this is a trip that requires physical preparation, which varies according to the itinerary chosen.
(Getting to Manaus: the city is reached by air, with no road connection to the rest of Brazil’s highway network, through hubs such as São Paulo, Brasília, and Bogotá.)
The expeditions to the Serras Guerreiras de Tapuruquara are an initiative of the communities themselves, through the Association of Indigenous and Riverside Communities of the Rio Negro (ACIR), in partnership with the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN), the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA), and Garupa (a community based tourism project). The itinerary has been built together with the communities since 2016.
In 2023, Poranduba joined these partners to make the tourism operation viable, strengthen sustainable tourism in the region, and ensure a genuine experience for visitors. It means that traveling with Poranduba to the Serras Guerreiras is being part of a network that generates income for around 100 families and contributes directly to the protection of Indigenous land.
